First Day of my Life
by Coeur de l'esprit
Summary: Quinn and Rachel have left Lima and are now starting their new lives in college. However, they are having trouble finding a place for themselves out in the real world. Perhaps they can find one with each other. Faberry.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: So this is just a little idea that's been in my head for a while and I've had some trouble trying to get it down in words. I like this version the best though, so please let me know what you think. Your input is very much appreciated.

* * *

The first day of school is always the most important. Well, at least that's what Quinn thought when she walked through the gates of Morse in search of her dorm. Everyone makes their first impression of you on this day; they judge you by how you talk, how you dress, how you walk. She needed a new start. Back home, Quinn had screwed up so much and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone ruin Yale for her. After four years of turmoil, she had kept her promise to herself and had made it out, out of Lima, out of Ohio. As she trudged up the stairs to her room she accidentally dropped one of the boxes she was holding down the stairs. Silently cursing herself for telling her mom that she was more than capable of moving herself in, she set down her other boxes and suitcase and went to go pick up the fallen box. When she was halfway down the stairs, a girl swooped in out of nowhere and scooped up the box before turning to Quinn.

"Hey, is this yours?" said the girl as she handed the box to Quinn. Quinn could not help but be captivated by her piercing grey eyes; that and her extremely toned legs that were easily apparent due to her exceptionally short shorts.

"Hey..um.. yea it is. Thanks um...," stuttered Quinn.

"Brooke, my name's Brooke. It's nice to meet you...?" said Brooke questioningly while holding out her hand to Quinn.

"Quinn. Are you a freshmen too? " asked Quinn, grasping Brooke's hand and shaking it lightly.

"Sophomore, but I'm here helping move people in and by the looks of it, I think you could use some help," offered Brooke.

"You thought correctly then; your help would be very much appreciated," replied Quinn.

Together, the two girls easily reduced Quinn's moving in time and were in front of her room in no time.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways, Quinn. I hope to see you around campus," said Brooke as she placed the boxes she was holding on the ground.

"Me too. Thanks again and have fun helping other unfortunate souls," Quinn responded with a slight chuckle.

Brooke turned around and was at top of the stairs before she ran back to where Quinn was standing.

"Actually wait, here's my number just in case you need any sage advice," said Brooke with wink. "I'll see you later, Quinn."

And with that, she left.

Something about Brooke's reply irked Quinn; it seemed slightly flirtatious. She pushed the thought from her mind and concentrated on the more pressing matter at hand: unpacking. First, she hung up all her clothes which mostly consisted of dresses and cardigans with the occasional sweats. Next, she arranged all her supplies on her desk and placed the few books she brought with her on the shelf. All in all, she hadn't brought much because she knew she would be back home for Thanksgiving and she could get anything else she needed then. After she was convinced that everything was in its proper place, she jumped into her new bed and breathed in the smell of her new life. Granted, it smelled a bit musty and she made a mental note to buy some air fresheners as soon as possible. If she was honest to herself, she would admit that a small part of her ached to be back home where everything was so familiar, but high school had passed and now was the time to grow up and find her place in the world. Internally groaning, she rolled off the bed and began writing down a plan for the rest of the day. Upon getting into Yale, she had only gone to visit once, so she was still unfamiliar with the campus. Alright, head up Fabray she thought to herself, it's time to go make an impression. Those Yale kids will never know what hit them.

After deeming herself suitable for the public eye, Quinn left her room and headed towards the main part of campus where a bunch of clubs had booths set up. While she was checking out the acapella groups Yale had to offer, Quinn became aware of a presence standing next to her. Spinning around, she came face to face with Brooke once again.

"Fancy seeing you here, Quinn," smirked Brooke.

"Are you stalking me or something?" Quinn asked bluntly with perhaps a bit more menace than she meant too.

Brooke looked slightly taken aback, but her friendly demeanor did not change whatsoever.

"Funny, but no. I'm actually part of Mixed Company and I promised to help out at the booth after I was done helping freshmen move in," said Brooke casually.

"Wait, you sing?" asked Quinn in disbelief. "I didn't really take you for the singing type."

"I could say the same for you, but I've learned not to judge a book by its cover long ago," replied Brooke.

"I'm sorry. I know I can be a bitch sometimes; it's a defense mechanism," said Quinn.

"It's alright. I understand. You're in a new place and you're still trying to get comfortable," said Brooke. "You can make it up to me by having dinner with me."

"Sure, I guess. I really want to check out the campus more, so I can meet you wherever after I'm done," answered Quinn.

"Deal. Meet me at Davenport at 7. It's not too far from Morse, but call me if you need directions," stated Brooke.

"Alright, Brooke. I'll see you then," agreed Quinn.

* * *

Quinn arrived at the Davenport gate around 6:30. She hadn't gotten there early on purpose, but had finished her tour a little earlier than expected. Seeing that she had some time to kill, she decided to head over to the off Broadway theater near Davenport. If there was one thing that she missed dearly about her former life, it was performing on a stage among the people she loved. One of her biggest regrets was that she had never had the chance to properly thank all of them and had left rather hastily for college. There was something about Lima that both scared her and invigorated her. It was a rather strange feelings. So many mistakes had been made there and yet so many good changes had come to pass there as well. She had dropped the bitch, well, sort of; some habits are harder to break than others. She had learned to open up to people and she had learned to care about someone other than himself. Sighing to herself, she knew that now would not be the best time to have dinner with Brooke. She was tired from the whirlwind of college and her homesickness wasn't helping at all; so she pulled her phone and the piece of paper containing Brooke's number out of her pocket. The phone only rung twice before Brooke picked up.

"Hello?" Brooke asked hesitantly.

"Hey, Brooke; it's Quinn. Could I possibly get a rain check for today? I'm exhausted from today and I want to give you my full undivided attention when we have dinner," explained Quinn. "I'm so sorry for having to cancel on you."

"Don't worry about it, Quinn. I probably would've asked for a rain check too if I was in your position. Another time sounds fine. Anyway, I should probably go eat, so I'll talk to you later. Bye."

And with that, Brooke hung up. Quinn sighed to herself and shook her head lightly; she had probably just pissed off the one friend she had made today. Things were definitely starting off well for her.


	2. Chapter 2

About 80 miles south of Quinn, Rachel was currently sprawled out on a couch in her apartment mindlessly watching television. It had only been a week since she arrived in New York with Kurt and already she was bored. Don't get her wrong, Broadway was still her dream and she loved the city dearly, but her plan had always been to get to New York and now that it was accomplished, she felt lost. She wished Kurt would come back already. Though she would never admit it to him, she longed for his company. The city was huge and full of people and it scared her. It scared her how real everything seemed now. It was time to grow up and assume her responsibilities as an adult. Was she ready for life? Or would should crumble and fall? The starkness of reality was something she would have to come to terms with eventually, but right now, she was perfectly alright with being blissfully innocent. Tomorrow college would start and she was sure that everything would fall back into place then. As she mindlessly flipped through the channels, going from one brainless reality show to the next, she thought of how much she craved the heat of a warm body next to her. She missed Finn. Granted, he was mediocre when it came to romance and a lousy boyfriend the majority of the time, but he had cared about her and that was more than what most people did. She was going to continue wallowing, until she heard the sound of someone unlocking the door. Quickly turning off the TV, she positioned herself on the couch to look like she had been napping. She heard Kurt call out her name as he walked through the door and pretended to wake up from a deep sleep upon his arrival.

"Hey, Kurt. How was your shopping trip?" she asked with a yawn.

"You know, Rachel, I do other things besides shopping. I was out getting some coffee with the guys we met from the NYADA mixer a few days ago, which you could've gone to, but you apparently had some pressing matter to deal with," replied Kurt sarcastically.

Indeed, she had gone to that mixer and while Kurt had fit in perfectly, she had felt uncomfortable and unwanted. Her future peers had looked at her with disdain and it made her sick because she felt like she was back in high school. It wasn't even the first day yet and people already judged her without even bothering to know who she was. Maybe if she had tried harder to assimilate, then she wouldn't feel so abandoned, but it was a lonely journey to the top; she knew that. Knowing it didn't make anything easier though. Kurt had noticed how withdrawn she had become and had attempted to draw her out into the public, but she had found solace in her solitude. Sure there were times when she would succumb to her loneliness, but for the most part, she liked having the time to think.

"Earth to Rachel," Kurt said as he waved his hand in front of Rachel. "Is anyone there?"

"Sorry, Kurt. I was just thinking," answered Rachel.

"Yea, that's what you always say and you have yet to tell me anything you've been thinking about," countered Kurt.

"I'll tell you when I want, Kurt. Can you please not push the subject any further? How was coffee," asked Rachel with a sigh.

"Not as good as ye old Lima Bean, but it was decent. I miss having coffee with Blaine though. Wait...ah, shit. I left my favorite sunglasses at the café; I'm going to have to go back and get them," said Kurt.

"Really, Kurt? Is that absolutely necessary?" Rachel said with an eye roll.

"These are Warby Parker sunglasses; I refuse to just leave them behind. I'll be back in half an hour or so," huffed Kurt and off he went.

"And there he goes," muttered Rachel to herself bitterly. It wasn't right for her to be mad at Kurt; it's not like the boy had done anything wrong. In actuality, she was jealous of how easy everything seemed to be going for him. He deserved it, he really did after all he had been through and she was happy for Kurt. Hopefully time would sort everything out. Hopefully. Instead of continuing her miserable thoughts, she opted for a shower instead. Kurt usually used up all the hot water and she hated the feeling of lukewarm or cold water when all you want is heat. Along her way to the bathroom, she grabbed her towel, pajamas and iPod. While letting the water warm up, she scrolled through her music library until finally settling on the perfect shower song for tonight. She plugged the player into the speakers, pressed play and stepped into the warmth. The sensation of water hitting her bare body was relaxing. The waves of music crashed over here and enveloped her in their hold. Music always set her free and that would never change. She had picked a song that reflected her current mood and could not resist the urge to sing as she bathed.

_Everyone thinks that I have it all,  
But it's so empty living behind these castle walls,  
These castle walls._

Perhaps it was her fault for placing so many defenses around herself.

_If I should tumble if I should fall,__  
__Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls,__  
__There's no-one here at all, behind these castle walls._

Would anyone hear her? Did she have anyone in her life who cared about her anymore?

As the music swelled, her voice rose as well and the sound that came from Rachel's lips could be compared with that of the sirens who lured sailors to their death with song. When Rachel sang, all the pieces of the puzzle fit. But the minute she stopped, they would all fall apart again. The stress from the past week had disheartened her so much that even singing couldn't offer her a short reprieve. Suddenly, she became aware of a loud banging noise and realized that someone was knocking on the door. Shutting off the water, she grabbed her towel and hastily wrapped it around her dripping body. Kurt probably forgot his keys again because who else would be knocking at their door? Grumbling as she walked towards the door, she was thrown completely off guard when she opened the door to reveal a middle aged man that she had never been before.

"Um...hello. May I..." started Rachel, but before she could finish, the man interrupted her.

"Were you the girl belting obnoxiously loud a few minutes ago?" asked the man.

"Um, yes?" replied Rachel hesitantly.

"Well fucking shut up. Some of us here like the peace and quiet without having Broadway wanabees tearing down the whole place," and with that, the man walked back to his room which happened to be right next to Rachel's.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered to no one in particular.

She closed the door.

She missed the sense of newness the city had held when she first arrived. Ever since the glee club had nationals there, it had always been her source of inspiration. The day she had moved in, the first thing she had done was visit Times Square and stood in the midst of it all and breathed in all the Big Apple had to offer. She had done this at least once every day since; hoping to receive some sign about what to do next. It's not like she believed any of that supernatural bullcrap, but sometimes it was nice to believe in something rather than seemingly waiting around for nothing. A slight breeze blew through an open window and Rachel shivered. She had forgotten that she was still in naught except a towel and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment even though no one was there to see her. Making her way back to the shower, she decided that it wasn't worth it to get back in and got dressed instead. The heart printed sleepwear still smelled faintly of home and she pretended like she was back there, having a conversation with her dads or perhaps coming up with a new set list for glee.

It was still too late to go to bed, so she plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV again. _Breakfast at Tiffany's _was playing and Rachel smiled to herself. No matter how many time she would watch this movie, it would never get old. Rachel watched as the great Audrey Hepburn commandeered the screen.

_"I'm like Cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other," stated Holly Golightly_.

Rachel had never really understood that line when she previously watched the movie, but now it made more sense than ever. Out here on her on, she was nobody. She had nobody and she was nobody. Oh well, she thought to herself. Tomorrow would be a new day and she would try harder to make new friends then. Just as she was about to get up and make herself some chamomile tea to help her fall asleep, the door unlocked and Kurt walked through looking flustered.

"Well, that was a complete waste of money and time," he said as he took off his coat.

"I take it that you didn't find your sunglasses then? I could've told you that before you even walked out the door," Rachel remarked.

"No, I didn't! And I swear I saw a guy walk out holding them; he probably stole them," Kurt said, his voice laced with menace. "Anyway, I'm tired so I'm going to go take a shower and then head to bed. Goodnight, Rachel."

"Goodnight, Kurt. Sweet dreams."

Rachel probably should've told Kurt about the incident regarding their neighbor, but it wasn't necessary to burden the boy with such an insignificant problem. It's not like they needed their neighbor for anything anyway, so what was the point? She returned her attention to making tea and went to the cupboard to get the kettle and tea bags. While she waited for the water to boil, she took out her phone to check it. Of course there were no missed calls or texts or new emails; everyone was probably too busy with their own lives. However, Rachel herself was determined to keep in touch with her high school friends and shot off a few quick texts to the former glee club members to ask how they were. After pressing send, the tea kettle started whistling, so she poured the water into her mug and allowed the tea to steep for a bit. Once she had deemed the tea acceptable, she picked up her phone and mug and carried them to her room. She opened up a window and climbed out onto the fire escape. It was peaceful out here. The city made it's own soundtrack and Rachel loved listening to it. Eventually, the wind began to blow too fiercely for her taste's, so she retreated back into her room. Placing the cup on her desk, she quickly looked at her phone again to see if anyone had replied. To her surprise, one person had and it was the person she had assumed to be least likely to respond.

**From Quinn:** **Hey, Rachel. It's nice to hear from you. I'm doing alright here; Yale's a beautiful place. How are things with you? Ready for NYADA?**

Rachel found it difficult to not call the blonde and immediately pour out all her problems to her. If Quinn was willing to talk to her, she shouldn't ruin it by talking about how much her life sucked.

**To Quinn: Everything's fine here, I was just getting ready to go to bed. My first day is tomorrow, so I should probably get some sleep so I don't go to school looking like a zombie. I don't really need anymore nicknames."**

She waited a bit to see if Quinn would reply, afraid that she had overstepped a line with her last sentence. It was true that Quinn had called her multiple demeaning names in the past, but the girl had come a long way since then. Rachel made a quick note to not indirectly attack Quinn if the girl decided to text her back and then climbed into bed. It wasn't long before sleep overtook her body and she was snoring in a matter of minutes.

She didn't hear her phone buzz.

* * *

Author's Note: So now you got to see the story from Rachel's POV. Next chapter will probably contain some Faberry interaction and will be long(probably)! Hope you guys liked this chapter and let me know what you think. Please?

Song is called Castle Walls by TI ft. Christina Aguilera

Quote is from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's

All media referenced belong to their respective owners.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting acclimated to Yale turned out to be harder than Quinn had originally expected. Granted, it had only been a few days, but Quinn had imagined herself already surrounded by friends and feeling at home on this campus. Her life wasn't a fairytale, she had come to terms with that long ago; however, it did not stop her from having hope. Things would get better, eventually.

High school had been easy. After she had turned Lucy into Quinn, it was simple for her to swoop in and take control. People had parted in front of her like Moses and the red sea and they hadn't dared cross her path in fear of being burned. Of course, that was then and this is now. There was no way she could terrorize the entire student body of Yale nor did she want to. Her days of being the HBIC were long over, or at least she hoped they were. She didn't want Yale to be like high school, where everything based about popularity and social status. No, she didn't want Yale to be like that at all; she had been a victim to it once and she didn't want to be one again.

The sudden ringing of a phone drew Quinn out of thoughts. In her discombobulated state, she reached over her head and groped around her desk in search of her phone. A small part of her wished for it to be an old friend calling to catch up, but of course it was just her damn alarm ringing. Fuck, she thought to herself, classes started today and if she didn't get up and out soon, she would be late for her first class and that wouldn't be the best first impression. Thank God she didn't have a roommate as her family was rich enough to bribe the school into giving her a single dorm. There was no way in Hell that she could handle living with another human being for a year; it was already hard living with herself as it was. In approximately 15 minutes, she was ready to go when she suddenly remembered something. Checking her messages, she saw that Rachel had not replied to her text from last night. For some strange reason Quinn felt hurt even though she had no reason to be. Now was not the time to worry about the little diva though. The only way she would avoid being late now was if she magically gained the speed of a cheetah and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

As soon as she was out of her building, she took off in a sprint towards her class. That was until she realized that she had no clue where her class even was. Actually, she didn't even know what her first class was. She rifled through her bag and managed to extract a crumpled up scheduled. Quickly glancing at it, she saw that she had Philosophy with Professor Harries at Connecticut Hall. Ok, now all she had to do was get her heading.

She silently cursed herself for not getting better acquainted with the campus in her short time there, perhaps then she wouldn't be turning in circles looking like an idiot. Several students gave her questioning looks as they walked by her in her frenzied state and while she was searching around for her map, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Do you need some help?"

Quinn looked up and locked eyes with a boy she had never seen before. He was standing cockily before her with his hands crossed over his chest. Quinn had been around enough of these guys in high school, namely Puck, and instantly new what his motives were. Play the nice guy who helps the poor, innocent, lost freshman around and get laid. She chuckled lightly at the thought; she guessed some people never really grew up after high school.

"What do you want?" Quinn asked, although it wasn't really a question. If anyone from McKinley was around, they new that it would be best to get out of her way now. But of course this wasn't Lima, Ohio and none of the students here knew not to bother her when she was pissed off.

"You just looked a little lost, that's all. Maybe I could help you?" the boy offered.

"Like hell you want to help her," a voice said from behind Quinn. "Fuck off, creep."

"Oh come on, Brooke, like you wouldn't want to tap that too," retorted the boy.

"Seriously, fuck off."

"Seriously, hun, if you want to get on this too all you have to do is ask," smirked the boy. "You, me, blondie over here, let's willy waggle, shall we?"

"Like I said, fuck off, Lucas," Brooke snarled.

The boy was a douche bag, Quinn could have seen that from a million miles away. Although she knew Brooke had good intentions in coming to her defense, she wasn't a helpless, little girl.

"Brooke, I don't need you coming to my defense," Quinn growled.

"Ooohhh, I sense a girl fight about to arise here. Well, if you want to relieve some of that tension just call me up, blondie," drawled Lucas. "Anyway, I'm wasting way too much effort on one girl, off to the next one then."

And after pelvic thrusting the air a couple times, Lucas sauntered off away from the girls. The two girls turned to face each other and Quinn couldn't help but be slightly angry at Brooke.

"Lucas' a jerk, everyone here knows that," Brooke stated.

"Be that as it may, I didn't need you to protect me. I can handle myself fine," Quinn said coldly.

"Fine, I get it. There's no need to get mad at me. Next time I'll remember that you don't need help from anyone," replied Brooke.

At this rate, Quinn was never going to make friends. It was her innate character to push everyone away and to not trust them. It may have worked before, but back then, she had power. Right now, she had absolutely nothing.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm just not very good at letting people stand up for me; I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I appreciate your good intentions though."

Looking down at her watch, Quinn realized that she was more than 20 minutes late.

"Fuck, this is not the day to be running late. I know I haven't been the nicest lately, but could you point out Connecticut Hall for me?"

Brooke sighed deeply before answering. "It's straight down that path and it'll be on your right. You'll see the sign, it's kind of hard to miss. Just look for the kids spewing philosophical nonsense."

"Thanks, Brooke," said Quinn as she took off running down the path. She was curious and a tad bit creeped out that Brooke had happened to be there. She's seen enough horror films about the college roommate who turn out to be serial killers and now the only thought in her head was Brooke climbing through her window and garroting her. These things only happened in movies right?

As Quinn raced into the area she assumed to be the old campus, she regretted quitting the Cheerios. Running this short distance should not leave her so out of breath. She found the building without a problem and slowed down her pace before entering. There was something about the old building that Quinn found enticing. She liked old things, she had an eclectic collection of random vintage findings. Later she would really explore the campus and appreciate her surroundings, but right now she needed to tactfully enter the lecture hall. Of course any tact Quinn had hoped for was lost when the heavy door slammed shut behind her.

All the students in the room turned to look at her; some snickered quietly, while others looked annoyed. The professor however, did not look up from his lecture notes.

"Ms. Fabray, I assume," called the professor. "How nice of you to join us."

"I'm sorry, sir. I woke up late and then I got lost and then some jerk came and..." stuttered Quinn.

"Well, you are here now and I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that your behavior today does not reflect your future plans for this class, otherwise I highly suggest you switch out now."

"No, sir. I will make sure that it doesn't happen again," Quinn said, gaining more confidence in her voice.

"Very well then, have a seat, Ms. Fabray. Let us not waste anymore of our precious time."

0000000000

When class was over, Quinn got up to leave along with everyone else. Overall, it hadn't been a very productive lecture seeing as it was the first day of classes and all. Professor Harries had introduced the course, gave a brief outline of the goals and then he called it a day because there was really nothing else to do. The minute she exited the building, she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. Digging it out, she was surprised when she saw that Rachel had texted her back. The two had become friends during the end of the yea, but with all their summer plans, they hadn't had much time to maintain that relationship. But Rachel was part of home and if she was willing to reach out, then Quinn was as well.

**From Rachel: Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry I fell asleep on you last night. I was exhausted. **

A part of Quinn felt relieved that Rachel had an alibi for not texting back last night, which was weird because why would Rachel need an alibi in the first place? Quinn simply pushed the feeling aside, blaming her stress for her moodiness.

**From Quinn: Hey, Rach! It's all right, don't worry about it. I'm glad that you were able to get some rest. **

Rachel responded back almost immediately.

**And how are you? Did you start classes yet?**

**I had my first class today, philosophy. It wasn't bad, we didn't do much, but I did end up being 30 minutes late so my professor probably hates me now. **

**Aw, I don't think so. No one could hate you. **

That reply took Quinn off guard. Did Rachel not hate her for all the torture she had put that girl through? Everyone hated her, she was convinced of that.

**That's not true, but I appreciate the sentiments. How was your first day? **

**It wasn't bad. **

Quinn thought for a moment before replying.

**Tell me about it?**

* * *

Author's note: None of these characters belong to me.

I had planned on making this a longer chapter, but I didn't want to throw you guys right into the middle of everything too quickly so I broke it up a little bit. Yay for development! What did you guys think? I still need to move the story a tiny bit further along before I jump right into all the goodness that is Faberry. You'll see.


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